Liberty man arrested on DWI

MONTICELLO, NY — Monticello police arrested Michael Towt, 23, on June 29, and charged him with driving while intoxicated, a felony and aggravated driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor.

At about 3 a.m. police officer Eric Youmans was on a special STOP-D.W.I. enforcement detail when he saw Towt driving a 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe down a narrow alleyway on North Street in the village of Monticello.

When Towt spotted the officer he drove off quickly in reverse and broke off a side-view mirror against a wall in the alleyway.

Towt continued to drive in reverse and he hit the wall of a vacant building. Towt then took off at a high rate of speed in his vehicle jumping a curb and driving the wrong way down Landfield Avenue, then fishtailing onto Broadway.

Youmans was able to catch up to and stopped Towt on Broadway, and he had a strong smell of alcohol coming from his person. Towt was administered a field sobriety test, which he failed.

Towt was then arrested, and a test showed that his blood alcohol content was .18%; the legal limit in New York is .08%

Towt had a prior conviction for D.W.I. in 2009 in the state of Georgia. Towt was arraigned and remanded to the Sullivan county jail pending further court action.